Comforts of Home

When we think of “home,” we envision a safe place to relax, recharge, and socialize with family and friends. A home provides comfort and protection, as well as an opportunity to enjoy our privacy. For individuals with special needs and their families, the concept of home is the same.

The Department of Economic Security (DES) Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD) provides support and services to more than 40,000 Arizonans with disabilities to keep members in their home environments and within their communities, whenever possible.

The Division is one of the top programs nationwide in serving members in their homes and communities. Approximately 88% of DDD members receive services in their own or a family home, rather than in an institutional setting. An additional 11% reside in group or adult developmental homes.

At the Arizona Children’s Colony when she was a teen, Ann Mills looks back on her journey from institutional life to leading a self-directed life where she could embrace the concept of home, community and friendship.

The likelihood of a first responder encountering a situation involving a person with developmental disabilities is high. For example, nearly 1 in 64 children in Arizona have autism spectrum disorder. When police or fire fighters arrive on the scene, they are trained to quickly assess the situation. But what if the person they are interacting with is not able to communicate? What if the person’s reactions are not “typical?”

Justin Harris, DDD Community Engagement Liaison, and Dr. Diana Davis-Wilson, a licensed and board certified behavior analyst, conduct training sessions on developmental disabilities for law enforcement and firefighters. Based on a suggestion by a Tucson-area fire chief, the training video was developed to reach all firefighters and police officers throughout the state, and will be shown to first responders during all work shifts.

Here’s a brief look at how DES is helping first responders approach these encounters successfully.

DES Workforce Specialists can help you find a job. Visit the ARIZONA@WORK webpage to access career training opportunities and locate a workforce center near you. Upload your résumé and view thousands of job postings on the state’s largest workforce database, the Arizona Job Connection.

Eager job seekers attended the Arizona Department of Economic Security (DES)’ Pathways to Employment hiring event to explore and connect to viable career pathways for long-term and sustainable employment. Here are a handful of the employers who are currently recruiting job seekers throughout the state.

February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month. It’s a national effort to educate and raise awareness about abuse in a dating relationship. See what an Arizona organization is doing to protect young people who find themselves in an abusive situation.

The weekly claim filing process (also referred to as weekly certification) is used to verify that you were unemployed during the week and are eligible to receive benefit payments (provided that you qualify monetarily and are determined eligible to receive benefits). Weekly claims are filed by individuals who have applied for Unemployment Insurance (UI) Benefits and/or have an existing Arizona Unemployment Insurance Claim with a monetary balance (meaning, you still have money remaining in your total benefit entitlement).

You must meet specific requirements for wages earned or time worked during an established period of time, be determined to be unemployed through no fault of your own (determined under state law) and meet other eligibility requirements to qualify for Unemployment Insurance benefits.